Backpacker

THE NOSE OF MY canoe splits the water,sending a slow-moving wake throughthe reflection of the red-and-yellowfoliage. I paddle through the mosaic ofcolor, around lazy horseshoe bends, andpast intricate beaver dams as loons divebeneath my boat. I feel charmed to get toexperience the Adirondacks in their peakbeauty this October, but then, a bright-orange sign slung across the river on arusty chain sucks the magic right out.NO TRESPASSING. VIOLATORS WILLBE PROSECUTED.The ’Daks are a big place, a 6-million-acre patchwork of state-protected``````public land and private property thatencompasses 3,000 lakes and 30,000miles of rivers. If it was a bowl of cereal,the public areas would be the milk and theprivate the Cheerios: Even if you startand end a paddle on public land, it’s nearlyimpossible to stay within those bounds.But that shouldn’t really matter becausea piece of state common law from the1800s technically gives boaters the rightto move freely on any waterway, publicor private.The edict isn’t unique: Laws grantingpublic right to rivers date as far backas 1250 in England. In one of its firstofficial acts, the U.S. Congress passedsuch a law that stated that “the navigablewaters leading into the Mississippi andSt. Lawrence... shall be commonhighways, and forever free to the citizensof the United States.”But some landowners—often thedescendants of 19th-century tycoons—are testing those rights, and in at leastone case in the Adirondacks, they’veproven that they’re more than willingto take trespassing paddlers to court.The argument? The law was written tokeep the waterways open to regionalcommerce, which at the time meantmoving lumber and pelts to market. Asif they would instead welcome paddlerspushing hundreds of tree trunksdown the river, landowners argue thatrecreationists silently coasting through``````waters in the far corners of theirestates don’t fulfill the purpose of the law.Except, maybe they do.These landowners seem to beoverlooking the fact that timber and furare no longer the main economic pillars inthe Empire State—tourism and recreationare. In fact, that tandem accounts for alarger percentage of total jobs than anyother part of New York’s economy. Inthe midst of a campaign to highlight theregion, Governor Andrew Cuomo recentlytouted the 12 million annual visitors to theAdirondacks, and the $1.3 billion industrythat they support.Unfortunately, New York ’s highestcourt doesn’t see it that way. When aseven-year-long lawsuit filed by theowner of a 40-square-mile slice of pristineAdirondack forest finally went beforethe Court of Appeals in 2016, the judgesconcluded there wasn’t enough evidenceto rule. Sure, they didn’t rule against thepaddler, but their decision effectivelyfreed up landowners to try again.A lot has changed in the Empire State inthe past 200 years, but water’s importanceas a regional highway hasn’t—even ifthe goods being transported look a littledifferent. Boaters today continue to keepthe Adirondacks afloat, and that’s exactlywhat the law was intended to protect.But if the landowners don’t agree,maybe we should all tie a log to the backsof our canoes and call it even. ■Free FlowThe best way to leaf-peep is byboat—as long as you don’t endup in court. BY RYAN WICHELNS17GEOPINIONNEWPRODUCTS!Consumer: Redeemable at retail locations only. NoIrwin Naturals will reimburse you for the face value plus 8 (cents) handling provided it is redeemed by at valid for online or mail-order purchases. Retailer:consumer at the time of purchase on the brand spand held. Reproduction by any party by any means ecifi ed. Coupons not properly redeemed will be voidis expressly prohibited. Any other use constitutesfraud. Irwin Naturals reserves the right to deny reimbursement (due to misredemption activity)and/or request proof of purchase for coupon(s) submitted. Mail to: CMS Dept. 10363, Irwin Naturals,1 Fawcett Drive, Del Rio, TX 78840. Cash value: .001 (cents). Void where taxed or restricted. ONECOUPON PER PURCHASE. Not valid for mail order/websites. Retail only.``````EXPIRES: 12/31/17 MANUFACTURERS COUPONSAVE $2ANY IRWIN NATURALS PRODUCTThese statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration.This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.``````Save $2.00 on any product athttp://www.IrwinNaturals.com by enteringcoupon code: 012868Are you seeingLook for our most popular products that now feature Nitric Oxide BoostersREDFollow Us On...